Typhoon Haima slams into the Philippines

Peñablanca, Cagayan

Philippines

by

Doyle Rice

,

USA Today

A woman conducts a ritual prayer for protection against the typhoon that was forecast to hit her village in the town of Aparri, Cagayan province, Philippines, on Oct. 19, 2016. Photo: Francis R. Malasig, EPA

Typhoon Haima slammed into the Philippine Island of Luzon Wednesday evening local time with winds estimated at 140 mph, forecasters said.

It hit Penablanca town in Cagayan province, the Associated Press said, bringing intense rain. Many villages lost power and powerful winds were tearing tin roofs off houses, the AP said. There were no reports of injuries or deaths yet.

Haima had weakened from a Category 5, 165-mph supertyphoon before making landfall. A typhoon becomes a supertyphoon when its sustained wind speeds reach 150 mph. It was the Earth's seventh Category 5 storm of the year, four of which spun in the western Pacific, Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach said.

...

At least 23 ofther typhoons of Category 4 strength have hit Luzon since the 1950s, Weather Channel meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said, which is why the region is known as "typhoon alley."